It was a dominant performance by the SUNS on Saturday afternoon, taking down the Swans by 40 points at Metricon Stadium.

SUNS Media have broken down some of the talking points below.

Pressure breeds opportunity:

The SUNS were on the attack from the first bounce and never relented to earn the four points on the weekend. The hallmark of Gold Coast’s game was its intense pressure, with the SUNS hunting the football and opposition whenever possible.

The pressure saw the SUNS force 75 turnovers for the day which produced nine direct scoring shots. A lot of those turnovers were forced from tackles, with the SUNS laying 79 for the day, a 20% increase on the season average. 21 of those tackles were inside forward 50 which highlighted the SUNS’ desire to keep the Swans under pressure and keep the ball locked in the forward half. It had a noticeable effect on Sydney’s ball use and was a big factor in the win.

Ben King’s career day:

It was a big day for Ben King, with the key forward booting a career-best five goals against the Swans. King was the major beneficiary of the pressure up the field, with the SUNS able to explode quickly on turnover and give King the delivery he deserved through the quick ball movement.

King was deadly accurate with his set shots and also had seven marks for the day, giving the Swans plenty of headaches defensively. The 20-year-old will gain plenty of confidence from his performance as he looks to add to his 60 career goals this weekend against Collingwood.

Miller’s consistency continues:

He may have gone unheralded in the media, but SUNS vice-captain Touk Miller has quietly compiled what is arguably his best start to a season in his seven-year career. The reliable midfielder had 36 disposals on the weekend, including a staggering 16 in the first quarter alone to help steer the team to its second win of the season.

It was Miller’s second-highest career tally of disposals in a game and the 25-year-old has now played every match this season without dropping below 20 disposals. He is ranked 2nd in the AFL for tackles through six rounds (behind Hugh Greenwood) and continues to be an important cog in Gold Coast’s midfield.